2017 PR Holding Group Ranking: Omnicom Overtakes WPP

Omnicom's PR operations overtook WPP in 2016, regaining the effective top spot among holding group PR operations in USD terms. However, WPP's PR fee income was impacted by the decline in the value of pound sterling, in which it reports. On a constant currency basis its growth (+5%) outstrips Omnicom,

While Interpublic's CMG unit reported more ($1.5bn), this includes several firms that do not specialise in PR; accordingly Omnicom's PR operations at $1.375bn are likely to once again be the largest in the world.

The holding group table also features good growth from China's BlueFocus Communication Group (+9.7%) and Next 15 (+9.7%). PROI Worldwide — which remains the largest collection of independent PR firms in the world — grew at a lower rate in 2016 than 2015, thanks in part to the exit of W2O Group from the network.